In 2006 he lost his right leg below the knee in a shark attack while he and his brother were training to become lifeguards. He successfully managed to lure the 4.5m great white shark away from his brother by slapping the water with his hand, until the shark bit his leg and dragged him 50 metres. He has drawn the jaws of a shark on his prosthetic leg as a reminder and to motivate him.
He took up the sport in 2007 at the Sport Science Institute of South Africa in Cape Town. He was studying alongside South African para-swimmer Natalie du Toit who encouraged him to get back into the water after his accident. “I took to the pool like a shark in the ocean.” Hence the name “Sharkboy”
He competed at the 2008 Summer Paralympics and he competed at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, United Kingdom.
